


Insecurities be Damned

by RoboDayDreamer



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Alastor and Husk are already together, Alastor being a good partner, Alastor is Bad at Feelings (Hazbin Hotel), Alastor is asexual but romantic for Husk when he needs to be, Human Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Husk being mindful of Alastors touch repulsion/starvation, Imps being known for shenanigans, Insecure Husk (Hazbin Hotel), M/M, Soft Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Theres a bar fight scene, They just have no idea what to call each other, Two old men not satisfied with the term boyfriend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:28:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25248445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoboDayDreamer/pseuds/RoboDayDreamer
Summary: Under unexpected circumstances, Husk is turned into a human! This would be fine if a certain Radio Demon wasn't making him more than a little self-conscious. Husk doesn't mean to let his insecurities get the best of him, but with a situation like this, he can't help it. Luckily for Husk, his 'sweetheart' has no problem banishing these thoughts from his not so furry head. All it takes is a heaping helping of being doted on.
Relationships: Alastor/Husk (Hazbin Hotel)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 241





	Insecurities be Damned

**Author's Note:**

> OR Alastor goes overboard with his attempt at convincing his cherished partner that he is a handsome specimen and does so with absolutely no shame. Things get romantic!
> 
>  **BEFORE YOU READ THIS.** I recommend you listen to "I Don't Want to Set The World On Fire" by Gabriel brown. It's on youtube!!! You'll understand when the time is right.
> 
> Also, Husk is very dramatic about his height. He exaggerates the whole time because he's a drama llama.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

A loud crash followed by a startled shout of, _"Oh holy fucking shit!"_ echoed throughout the hotel.

Vaggie came to a screeching halt in front of the kitchen. She grit her teeth, glaring at the door as if she could see through it. “If I come in there and see a mess _I’M GONNA MAKE ALL OF YOU REGRET WAKING UP TODAY!"_

The rapid tapping of shoes on the carpeted floor caught her attention as Charlie jogged over, skidding to a stop and wheezing with her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. “W-what was that? What’s going on?” Did someone get hurt? Maybe the oven caught on fire again? She sure hoped not!

Vaggie opened her mouth to respond before she jumped back in surprise with a gasp. Alastor, without any warning, had chosen that moment in time to appear beside the two of them through his shadows. He waggled his eyebrows at his fiery frenemy as he tutted, “My dear, if you stare anymore intently at that poor unfortunate door, why, you may very well succeed in burning a hole through it! Hahah!” 

The moth-like demon felt her eye give an irritated twitch. Before she could pull out her weapon, Charlie placed a hand on her shoulder with a comforting smile. She couldn’t resist that smile… taking a deep breath, Vaggie decided there were more important things to worry about. Some irresponsible demon had some explaining to do. 

With that, she spun back around and pushed open the door.

The room was a disaster. There was broken glass littering the tiles, all of the cabinets and drawers were either open or hanging off their hinges, the walls and counters were covered in some sort of sparkling purple dust… and there was a human man sprawled out on the floor.

Angel Dust, who was holding back a very distraught looking Niffty, was gaping like a fish at the man.

Charlie was the first to break the silence, “Uhmmm, guys? What _happened_? Who _is_ that? And why is there purple glitter all over the place? You all look great in purple, but did you really have to get so… uhhh… creative with your arts and crafts?” Her eyes never strayed from the man as she spoke, thoughts running a mile a minute. She didn’t see a summoning circle… and even if she did, those were usually used on earth to send for demons, not the other way around! 

__

Vaggie grabbed at Charlie’s arm, her other hand gesturing towards the mess. “Is anyone going to explain what in the _absolute fuck_ is going on in here?” Her gaze honed in on Angel Dust, who shook himself out of his stupor to look worriedly at the unconscious form on the ground. 

__

He cleared his throat, hugging Niffty closer to his chest before attempting to answer her question. “Uhhh… Listen, babe. I can’t really… I don’t...” With a hard blink, he gave a frustrated huff. No matter how much he blinked or stared, the human stayed the same… Fleshy and alive and not a demon… 

__

Alastor chose that moment to step forward, gracefully making his way into the kitchen. He eyed all of the purple sparkling dust with an air of curiosity, that is, until he noticed it sticking to his shoes. His brows furrowed in obvious distaste. “... You were using dust with magical properties to… destroy the hotel’s once very pristine kitchen and invite a mortal to play?” 

__

His glowing eyes roamed over the man’s form, examining him with great interest. “I haven’t had a good human in ages. They’ve become quite a delicacy… would you like me to cook him up for dinner? I’m sure I could whip something up that would satisfy even the pickiest of palates.” With every word, his grin grew sharper, voice taking on a very sinister tone.

__

The majority of the remaining demons in the room felt chills travel up their spines as they eyed the Radio Demon, the ominous energy surrounding him causing all of them to tense up.

__

Niffty snapped out of it at that point, the only one not at all affected by Alastor’s threatening demeanor, to let out a horrified gasp. Flailing her arms in the air, she cried out, “No no, you can’t eat him! That’s not just any human! It’s Husk!”

__

Niffty swore she could hear a pin drop at the resounding silence. She watched as the girl's jaws dropped open in shock, eyes snapping to look back at Husk. She could tell, now that they were really looking, they could see the resemblance. It didn’t help that the poor demon turned human was also covered in purple… she really needed to clean this up. It was _horrible._

__

Charlie frowned in disbelief, “That’s… that’s _Husk?_ _Our_ Husk?” She shook her head, “How did this happen?” She bit her lip, concern starting to bleed through her shock. If this was really Husk, and she knew Niffty wouldn’t lie to them about something like this, what were they going to do? How were they going to fix this? Was it permanent? She hoped not… she knew a little about magic dust… it was a very tricky thing to dabble in. 

__

Her father made it very clear that it wasn’t a toy. It could be used for a lot of things, but it was mainly used for pranking or punishing… the majority of the time it was temporary, but sometimes, pissing off the wrong person could lead to a much harder problem to solve. She’d overheard her father talking about one of the overlords getting into the stuff… something about having to lock themselves away to solve a very embarrassing situation caused by the dust of a particularly stubborn demon who didn’t want to be bothered. She couldn’t remember much else, other than knowing it had lasted weeks and the dust wielding demon had been slain for their trouble… 

__

With a start, she whipped her head around to stare at Alastor. This couldn’t be easy for him… after all, he and Husk were… uhhhh… dating? In a relationship...? Was it complicated? Um, either way, the two of them were together and having the love of your life turned into a human when you only knew them as a demon couldn’t be easy… especially when you were just going to eat said human.

__

Alastor ignored her gaze. In fact, he didn’t even notice her staring at him. He was too focused on the human... No… Husk. _His_ Husk. Lying unconscious on the floor, not at all himself. Or at least, in appearance… He could feel his grin straining with the effort to stay wide, to appear unaffected by the news. This… wasn’t at all funny… or was it? Should this amuse him? Should he be playing one of his infamous laugh tracks right now?

__

He took a step forward, and then another, followed by another until he was standing right beside the body of his fallen flame. He was at a loss… this wasn’t at all what he expected. He didn’t know how to respond. It was as if someone had just grabbed the dial of his radio and snapped it off. 

__

What was he feeling? Surely he should be feeling something? With a tilt of his head, eyes never straying from Husk, he internally scrambled to find something, anything to feel. Amusement, surprise, boredom… something was rising to the surface… was that anger? He could work with that.

__

The room appeared to dim as his eyes transformed into dials, the static lacing his voice increasing in volume as he spoke, _"Who is responsible for this?"_ He looked to the only two who could possibly know, clawed hands clenching from behind his back as if picturing a neck between them to strangle. 

__

Usually, a situation like this would keep him entertained for weeks, but his Husker was left unmoving on the ground. His Husker was covered in dust only imps tended to abuse for _repulsive_ practices. His Husker wasn’t throwing a hilarious tantrum, yelling and spewing curses at all of them to stop laughing so they could ‘ _fix this fucking mess._ ’

__

Taking a step forward, he raised his hand to summon his cane, only to be shaken out of his rage at the sound of a low groan. His neck snapped with a loud crack as he watched Husk begin to stir, eyes scrunched up in discomfort. Alastor could feel something akin to relief coursing through him when the human sat up, lifting a hand to their face to rub at their now furless head.

__

Husk felt more than a little out of it. All he knew was that his head hurt and his body was sore. Did he get into a fight at the bar? Or did he pass out into another alcohol-induced coma on the floor? Sleeping on the floor sucked… it made his back hurt and his wings stiff. Speaking of his wings, he noticed he couldn’t feel them. He attempted to stretch them, but… no. Nothing. Had they fallen asleep? Maybe he laid on them wrong… cut off circulation. It was easier to lay on his side or stomach… 

__

He ran a paw down his face and froze, eyes flying open to look at his heart padded paw only to see… a hand. A _human_ hand. Holy… shit... Was he hallucinating? He had to be. He hadn’t been a human in decades. Was this some kind of lucid dream?

__

Using his now blunt fingernails, he closed his hand into a fist and pressed them into the flesh of his palm, hard enough to sting. 

__

…

__

_Holy shit._

__

He wasn’t hallucinating. That _fucking hurt._ What the actual fuck, okay. Don’t panic… but actually, no, screw this shit he was abso-fricken-lutely going to panic. How did this even happen? Why was there purple glitter all over him-?

__

He could feel his eyes widen as the memories flooded back. The dust? Oh… oh no. Angel Dust. Niffty. They were with him in the kitchen. Had they ended up like him? 

__

Looking up, he stiffened in surprise. There were more than two other demons in the kitchen now… and they were all staring at him. Well, wasn't that just peachy? 

__

He grumbled in aggravation, trying to hide his rising panic at the looks on their faces, “What are you all fuckin lookin at?” At least his voice hadn’t changed… 

__

With a grunt, he moved to stand, the floor was uncomfortable and he had a feeling he’d been laying on it long enough. He tried to busy himself with brushing as much of the purple dust off as he could. The shit was fucking _irritating._ Besides… he didn’t look good in purple.

__

Or did he? He wasn’t a big fluffy catbird demon thing anymore. What did he look like? Did he even want to know? 

__

Giving up on the glitter adamantly sticking to his body, he turned to look for something he could use in place of a mirror. He rarely cooked in the kitchen since Niffty and Alastor had a tendency to completely take over any and all culinary practices. He was sure they had a metal tray in one of these godforsaken cabinets. Angel Dust had used plenty of them as a mirror before… ahah! 

__

Smirking victoriously at the tray in his hands, he lifted it up to gaze into its reflective surface only to have it wiped right off his face. This couldn’t be right… His hands shook as he brought it closer, eyes flickering quickly from one feature to the next as if he could find answers in his mirrored visage. He didn’t notice the metal warping in his grip.

__

A pair of much smaller hands laid gently against his own, tearing him away from his tormented thoughts.

__

Niffty had noticed his grief almost immediately, freeing herself from Angel’s loose grasp to hop up onto the counter to reach her friend. He could hurt himself, he was a human now! They were so fragile…

__

With a frown, she gave his hands a light pat, keeping up the comforting motion until they stopped shaking. As his grip relaxed, the tray succumbed to gravity and fell from his slack hands. She didn’t even flinch when the resounding clang echoed throughout the room. Husk needed her!

__

Angel Dust decided to break the tense silence. “You don’t look like a war vet t’me, Husk. Ya look good!” The arachnoid gave a shaky grin, arms crossed as he allowed his gaze to wander. Yep, even as a human, their resident bartender had a nice ass. Where’d he even get those slacks from? High waisted and… aw man, why’d he have to go and turn around? He was trying to admire the view!

__

Husk whipped around and snarled, “I didn’t die this young, you sonofabitch!” He died much older than what his reflection had teased him with. No, he wasn’t that young. He’d died well into his 60’s. Or was it 70’s? 

__

With a scowl, he glared daggers into the floor. 

__

How old was he now? 30? 40? He didn’t have a clue. It’s not that he didn’t like being human again. In fact, he preferred this body. _His_ body. He had never gotten used to being an overgrown cat with wings, but even he had to admit this was a bit too much for him to process.

__

...Wait.

__

Had everyone gotten taller or had he shrunk? 

__

Oh, this was _bullshit._ He hadn’t been the tallest of their group, Angel had easily taken that spot, but he could at least say he was a decent size. 

__

Were demons fucking trees?

__

Nah, that couldn’t be right. 

__

Maybe he was shorter because demons' forms were exaggerated in hell. Which was really fucking obvious based on the physical traits they picked up when falling into the land of the royally fucked.

__

He could only assume that a demons size was based on how they acted when they’d been alive. Nobody looked human down here, far from it in fact. Unless you were lucky, anyway. Some had a mild resemblance to their human selves after they were damned to eternal fuckery. In other words, if they were like Vaggie, Mimzy, or Alastor.

__

Oh, fuck. Alastor. 

__

What would his… well technically he was his boyfriend, but that word didn’t feel right. He couldn’t say husband because they weren’t married. Partner? That would usually work since ‘lover’ made his heart flutter and he wasn’t about to deal with a red face when his fur wasn’t there to hide it. 

__

What would _Alastor_ think about all of this? He’d never known Husk as anything, but a demon.

__

Shit, he wasn’t used to worrying about anyone else’s opinions, but he’d be lying if he said his _steady_ couldn’t make or break him if he suddenly decided Husk’s human self was an ugly fuck. Damn it, feelings were stupid. Alastor didn’t even care for physical attraction. It didn’t do anything for him so why was this such a problem?

__

He wasn’t a weak fucking baby. He could live without Alastor showing interest in his looks. He never cared about this kind of shit even before being turned into a human… but, just because he could force himself to live without it didn’t mean he wanted to.

__

He wanted Alastor to find him appealing in that stupid way couples wanted the eyes of their significant other to be drawn to them when they entered a room.

__

It was dumb. _He_ was dumb. A dumb cheesy shmuck. 

__

And not at all what he should be focusing on. Lack of self-confidence aside, he was in a real goddamned predicament. He was in danger. This situation was extremely uncomfortable and not just because of his appearance.

__

He wasn’t a demon anymore. As a human, he was out of his element, surrounded by demons that were more powerful than him with the means to fight or defend themselves. Which he used to have with his wings and claws and cat-like reflexes. Shit. He was screwed.

__

With a long-suffering sigh, he turned to look at the rest of their little ragtag group of hazbin’s. They were still staring at him, but at least they’d picked up their jaws off the floor.

__

He rose an unfeathered brow, “I’m guessin you wanna know what happened?”

__

Charlie and Vaggie nodded their heads in response, but he couldn’t help noticing from the corner of his eye that Alastor stayed completely still and painstakingly quiet.

__

Husk pushed the thought to the side, the sooner he got this over with the better. They could help turn him back.

__

His hands gripped his biceps, betraying his insecurity as he recounted the whole story. 

__

Angel Dust had been propositioned by an imp at the bar. They had plenty of inhabitants at this point, enough to keep Husk busy. Angel could typically deal with perverts, but this imp was extremely obnoxious. He wasn’t interested in paying the regular way, and while Angel wasn’t above taking drugs as a form of payment as Husk wasn’t for alcohol, he had just gotten lectured over his habits by Vaggie and was only in the mood to relax with the fruitiest abomination of a drink he could possibly ask for.

__

The imp didn’t take too kindly to this and reached into his trench coat to take out a burlap sack. Magicking a sack into existence wasn’t the most impressive or even threatening thing that could be done to Angel, so he ignored the imp in favor of savoring his drink. This was a mistake, as it had allowed the imp the freedom to pull out who knows what to use against the spider.

__

Husk had noticed this and had slapped the imp in the face with his tail, telling him to get his ugly mug right the fuck out of the hotel before he sicked Alastor on him. He typically took care of bastards like this himself, but he had a bad feeling about this guy.

__

Turns out, he was right. The imp had paled before scowling, handing the sack over to Angel, telling him to go nuts before scampering off to the exit. He glanced back as he was halfway out the door, giving Husk a menacing grin, mouthing words the bartender couldn’t quite make out before he was gone.

__

At that point, Angel had been intrigued and Husk uneasy. Angel went to the kitchen to see what kind of spoils the bag contained while Husk followed, trying to convince him that it would probably lead to his second death. 

__

Niffty had already been in the kitchen, trying to meal prep for dinner when the two had come in. At this point, they were arguing over whether or not it contained drugs or poison. Niffty, curious of the contents of the sack as well, watched Angel Dust untie the rope, only to have the contents of the bag explode out in a cloud of sparkling purple.

__

All Husk could remember at that point, besides being blinded by the crap was that it almost seemed to envelop him entirely, suffocating him in its purple haze. He had felt a white hot flash of pain before everything went dark.

__

The three listened to his story with rapt attention, relieved to finally have the answers they were looking for.

__

Alastor seemed to come back to life the moment Husk finished his side of the story, arms opening wide with a bright laugh. “Well, that explains that! You seemed to have gotten on the wrong side of that wretched little creature. Angel most likely would have been its original target, had you not stepped in. What an outrageously comical situation! Though it is quite a shame it had to take away our beloved feline’s magnificent form. We’ll have this all remedied in no time!” 

__

The radio host watched as Charlie began to make a plan to research the dust. Oh how silly of her! This imp was obviously looking for petty revenge. It had wanted his darling cat to go through a scare. To feel helpless and cornered, like he did when Husk had threatened him. Angel Dust most likely would have suffered a similar fate based on rejecting his offer for more... inappropriate services.

__

Pranks like these wore off in a matter of hours, maybe even days. Nothing too serious! Husk would be back to his old self in no time. Speaking of his beau, he had a feeling his kitten could use a bit more reassurance. Niffty had been an absolute dear, taking over for him to comfort his companion when they’d all been entranced by his reaction to his new form. He wouldn’t let his Husker down again! 

__

Turning to said human, he moved to speak, only to cut himself off. Husk was half-turned away from him, shoulders hunched and arms wound tightly around himself. He seemed to be lost in thought with his brows furrowed and an anxious frown on his face. 

__

Alastor watched as he glanced up and met his gaze only to tense and look away just as quickly. A fleeting glance may have been all it was, but Alastor hadn’t missed the hurt in his Husker’s eyes.

__

Had he done that? Was he the cause of this blatant insecurity? He searched his memory for what he could have possibly done to put that look on the other’s face, only to pause. Ah. He’d made it seem as though he preferred his kitten’s other form over this one. His human form. His… _original_ body.

__

Hmmm… his Husker never ceased to surprise him.

__

A thoughtless comment on his part. He’d have to convince his dearest that this wasn’t the case! 

__

With a click of his hoofed shoes, he steps forward to do just that only to be interrupted by a knocking from the doorway. 

__

One of the newer residents, a more squirrel-like demon that had a tendency to literally chitter about, was meekly shifting from foot to foot.

__

With his bushy tail twitching behind him, he gave them all a nervous frown. “I thought you s-should know… some of the o-other g-guys are trying to scavenge the b-bar for drinks since H-Husks not there…” He quickly averted his gaze and disappeared behind the door, not at all comfortable in the presence of stronger demons.

__

Husk swore under his breath, fully intending to storm out there and beat the everloving shit out of those fucklords. Or at least, he would have if he wasn't stopped by Vaggie. 

__

She gave him a tight-lipped frown, eyeing him as if she could mentally grab him by the shoulders to shake the stupid out of him. If she wasn’t so worried about breaking his spine in the process, she would have. 

__

With a huff, she crossed her arms. “Look, I know you want to castrate your customers, but you can’t! Not like this. Just… stay out of the way so we can handle it. Once you get your claws back you can scratch out their eyes. Okay?”

__

Husk honestly would have fought her more over this if it wasn’t for the tentative way she was holding herself. She was worried about him… and wasn’t that just a big slap to the face. 

__

He scowled, watching her prepare for a verbal fight before he shut her down with a pat on her head. “Yeah yeah, fine. I’d just be putting myself in deeper shit if I stormed out there like this. I got it. Keep your bow on.” He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smirk. “Just don’t be surprised if I have to step in and save your ass.”

__

Vaggie blinked in surprise. Oh, it was on! She reached out to ruffle his already disheveled hair, a snarl that was really just for show breaking out across her face. “Right! I’m sure we’ll need to be saved by a small fry like you. You’re basically my height now! Or are you shorter?” She was so relieved, she could definitely let herself joke around with him a little… Not that anyone else needed to know that.

__

Husk squinted at her in mock offense, though he was feeling a little ruffled by the comment, he pushed it away. She hadn’t meant anything by it and who the hell was he to miss an opportunity to get all chummy with her? He could honestly use the distraction. 

__

He pushed her hand away from his hair, reaching up to smooth it back with little to no care, he already looked like a mess so it didn’t matter if his hair was perfect or not. “Wow, and here I was trying to be nice and keep myself out of danger only for you to kick me while I’m down. Rude. Very rude. You whippersnapper.”

__

Before they could carry on, Charlie clapped her hands with a beaming smile and turned to make her way out of the kitchen once she had their attention. “We’d better go before our patrons destroy the whole bar! We don’t get another load until tomorrow morning and our night drinkers aren’t gonna be too happy about that!”

__

Angel Dust scoffed, “Serves em right for thinkin they could get away with bein a buncha numbskulls!” He placed his hands on his hips, swaying them as he walked beside their princess. “Though I gotta admit, it’ll be nice to blow off some steam. I’m gonna use a bat!”

__

As Charlie tried to convince Angel to use his words before his weapons, the rest of them followed her into the hallway.

__

Niffty scuttled up to Husk to grab his hand, grinning her sharp teeth up at him as he looked down at her. He gave her a small smile in response, closing his fingers around hers and giving them a light squeeze. 

__

When they reached the lobby, his smirk twisted into a grimace. There was a small group of demons surrounding the bar, most of whom had already grabbed up a good handful of his stock and proceeded to toss the empty bottles wherever they saw fit.

__

Great. He’d have to close up shop early… though it was most likely for the best with him being in his current state.

__

As Charlie stepped forward to try and reason with the group, Vaggie made sure to stand right beside her, spear in hand.

__

Husk wasn't worried, Charlie could handle these knuckleheads on her own. If they ended up being a problem, and by the looks of it they were, Vaggie would no doubt lunge at them before the princess could even conjure up her horns. 

__

Angel Dust and Alastor would follow for the sake of fighting. Angel always did love a good brawl and Alastor could appreciate the carnage, whether it was by his hand or not. Though Husk knew he preferred to dish out his own personal brand of slaughter.

__

As one of the rando’s reared up to chuck his bottle at the girls, Vaggie stabbed him in the stomach while Charlie sighed in defeat. You couldn’t save everybody. With that, a fight between both groups broke out.

__

Husk felt Niffty let go of his hand to join the fight. He tried to stay back for the sake of staying out of trouble. He wasn’t afraid to get involved, but if it gave his own group of fondly dubbed dimwits peace of mind then he’d do it for them. Or at least, he would have if an extremely drunk resident hadn’t decided to loom over him to get his attention.

__

Glancing up, he raised a brow in response to the guy’s sleazy grin. Was he fuckin serious? Just pick on the bystander minding his own business, yup. That’s a great idea. A motherfucker, that’s what he was.

__

Said sleaze leaned over to eye him up and down, slurring out a confused, “Heyyy. What’re you supposed ta be? A human? Hahahah! Guys! Check this out. Itsa friggin human!” Unbeknownst to the intoxicated demon, his friends were already taken care of and being thrown into a pile for Niffty to dispose of.

__

Husk let out an aggravated groan at having to actually knock in this idiot's skull, but he knew he would have to do it. The dirtbag wasn't gonna knock himself out. Besides, he was still feeling crummy from Alastor’s previous comment, and rather than admitting to having his feelings hurt, he decided it would be easier to channel that shit into something he could work with. Like being pissed off.

__

Cocking his head, he gives the demon a harsh frown. “You wanna fuckin dance? Alright, let’s dance.” Bringing up his fist, he smashes it into the guys nose, smirking at the satisfying sound of it crunching beneath his knuckles. Oh yeah, he really needed this.

__

The demon stumbled back before crashing to the ground. Rather than letting him recover, Husk jumped right on top of him and continued to barrage his face with both of his fists until he went completely still, limbs limp and face a bloody unrecognizable mess.

__

Out of breath and letting the adrenaline fade, Husk picked himself up off of the drunkard and ran a hand down his face, scowling at the smear of blood his fingers left behind. “Aw, damn it. I made an even bigger fuckin mess of myself…” Looking up from his gore covered hands, he scanned the shocked faces of his own group, his brows furrowing in confusion. “What? I’d ask if there was somethin on my face, but I already know it’s imp dust and blood.”

__

When he isn’t given an immediate response, he huffs out an exasperated sigh, “Look. I might be a human without all of the freaky deeky demon powers or whatever, but that doesn’t mean any of you should underestimate me. I fought in a war for fuck’s sake!” Pinching the bridge of his nose, he swore at the mess he was only adding to his face at this point. 

__

Husk turns away from the bar and makes his way out of the lobby, throwing a halfhearted wave over his shoulder with a grumble, “I’m gonna shower. I’m covered in crap and it’s starting to get on my nerves.” 

__

Lost in his own thoughts, he almost walks past the door to his hotel room. Shaking his head, he goes inside and heads straight for the bathroom. 

__

He notices now more than ever that he’s at least two or three heads shorter. He can’t quite see into the mirror, though it’s not enough to make him do more than give a huff of annoyance. Is this how Niffty feels? At least he’s still taller than her. 

__

He couldn’t help but wonder if humans were aware of just how terrifying demons could be. Hah, back in his day the only demons you had to worry about were your own. Well… those or the priests trying to convince you not to sell your soul to the devil. Was it still like that? 

__

Making deals was a pretty major thing down here after all… majorly dangerous if you weren’t careful. Did they know that there were a fuck ton of rando’s to summon from down here? If he summoned a demon when he was alive he probably wouldn’t expect how fuckin weird they’d look. After all, he was a god damned catbird that had a mild resemblance to a magician.

__

Dropping his clothes to the floor, one’s that he sent a silent thanks to for not letting him turn up naked because that would have been embarrassing as all hell, he steps into the shower. The icy cold spray makes him hiss out a few choice words as he scrabbles to change the temperature, sighing in relief once it warms up.

__

He’d forgotten what it felt like to shower without fur. Bathing as a cat with wings was a pain in the ass. So much of a pain that he had to schedule that kind of shit because it literally took him hours to do. 

__

When drenched, his fur was unbearably heavy and unlike human hair, if he left it like that he would shiver as if he'd been in the freezer and end up smelling like mold. Eugh… He also couldn’t just towel dry his fur, he had to use a blowdryer to finish the job. 

__

Then he’d have to painstakingly brush it out because the shit would poof up in a way Alastor would find ‘utterly comical’ and he would rather die than become a laughingstock. He wouldn’t let him live it down for the rest of their afterlives.

__

And don’t even get him started on his god damned wings. Preening them took a fuck ton of flexibility and yes, as a cat he had that, but it was uncomfortable staying in that position for as long as he had to, especially at his age. Those things could get grimy and oily… 

__

Husk was also lazy. Really really lazy. Couldn’t be bothered kind of lazy. If it wasn’t an even bigger pain in the ass to skip, he wouldn’t put a quarter of the effort in. 

__

But no...

__

If he skipped out on his bathing bullshit, his fur would become a matted mess while his feathers would get twisted and bent out of shape. Both of those led to painful outcomes he wasn’t exactly interested in having to deal with.

__

Though even he had to admit once all the initial hassle was over and done with, the end results were pretty nice. It felt good to be clean and he always felt way more comfortable. Sure, it led to him being touched more frequently by his little circle of misfit friends, but it was worth it. 

__

He honestly didn’t mind the closeness, in fact, he often enjoyed it. Not that he’d ever tell them that. So long as it wasn’t for anything weird, they could get away with a pet or two while he was in a good mood. He was fine with Alastor stroking his wings or Charlie grabbing his arms just to feel how ‘silky’ they were. 

__

Shutting off the water, he steps out and grabs a towel to dry off. Yeah, this was way easier... 

__

It also felt really good to be rid of all that glitter. He thought it would never come off. All thanks to those pixie dust munching bastards. He’d shove them into a hooch under siege to teach them a lesson if he could.

__

He never had a problem with imps before… okay, that was a lie. He had a problem with everybody. You couldn’t trust many demons in hell and he wasn’t interested in making friends. Or he wasn’t until a few hazbin’s wormed their way into his cold dead heart.

__

Husk walks out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist only to jump in surprise at a pair of glowing red eyes peering at him from the darkness of his room. He knew he should have turned on a light when he came in. Not that it really mattered, only one demon with bright ass eyes would just invite himself into his room. 

__

As his vision adjusted to the darkness, man did he wish he still had his cat sight, he could make out Alastor’s form sitting quietly on his bed with… was that a fresh pair of clothes? What a relief. The only clothes he had were the ones he was magicked into and they weren’t exactly in any condition to be re-worn.

__

Looking at the other, he’s not really sure what to say. Thankfully he’s saved from spewing out anything remotely awkward when Alastor holds out the garments without a word. He doesn’t hesitate to take them, muttering his thanks and dropping his towel without another thought.

__

Alastor’s gaze sweeps across his form while he’s changing, not at all noticing as gleaming red eyes linger on all of his scars.

__

Husk isn’t usually self-conscious, mainly due to him not giving a fuck about anyone else’s opinions. It also helps that his… _sweetheart_ … _heartthrob_... ugh. Whatever the fuck. It helps that _Alastor_ isn’t at all interested in the sexual activities that follow the ‘traditional’ expectations of being in a relationship. They aren’t a normal couple by far, but hell is anything but normal and Vaggie swears that the world up above has progressed a lot. 

Back in his day, you’d get punched out for being interested in the same sex, especially with him being in the army. He’d had his heart broken enough when he was alive, he didn’t need to worry about that now. Of course, his heart didn’t learn its lesson. It just had to go falling real fucking hard for a certain cannibalistic serial killing overlord. Nice job jackass. 

Alastor never really focused on any of his more physical traits unless he could use them himself. Fighting, teasing, abrupt gestures of affection. Those were the norm. He got a kick out of it when Husk got aggressive, he probably got some sick enjoyment from watching him fight. He liked to pull his tail, pluck his feathers, or rile him up to see what he’d do. Husk had a feeling the bastard was invested in getting him as moody as fucking possible.

Being a big fucking cat with wings and fur also helped with the whole having insecurities thing. Yeah, the thought of drawing eyes was nice, but when you were literally a walking talking stuffed animal you really couldn’t hope for that kind of thing. A thing he didn’t at all care about. Unless it was with his resident deer demon… _Shit._ This was stupid. He wasn’t a teenager anymore. He needed to get a fucking grip.

When he’s buttoning up his shirt, he finally notices the others stare and fuck okay now he definitely feels uneasy. After all, Alastor did say he missed his demon form… 

Husk mentally shakes the distracting thoughts away. He tries to finish quickly, keeping his gaze averted before he hears Alastor sigh. “Come, sit.” 

He glances up to see Alastor patting the space on the bed beside him. He hesitates for a brief moment before inwardly cursing at himself for being such a fucking kid about this. 

He makes sure to sit with an arm’s length of distance from Alastor and the other allows this with respect towards his feelings, though he makes his obvious displeasure known with a raised brow and a strained twitch of his grin. 

His gaze is unwavering as he speaks, voice calm and almost gentle in a way Husk isn’t quite used to. “...I had no idea you valued my opinion so greatly. I’m relieved and absolutely delighted to know that you care about me so much that you crave not only my affections… but my judgment as well. And on your looks, no less! While I may not care for such things in relation to more… carnal desires.”

Alastor pauses, his grin forming into a disgusted sneer only to be replaced by his usual upturned smile just as quickly as if it never happened. With a tilt of his head, he continues, “Contrary to popular belief, I do take appearance into consideration. I noticed and appreciated many aspects of your previous form daily! From the graceful arch of your wings to the soft fur on your body.” 

His expression gentles, eyes staring unwaveringly into Husk’s own. “The lovely honey color of your eyes, which I am happy to see, is a feature your human self shares. The movement of your ears, the coiling of your tail, and the sound of your purr… the deep thrum of your voice, especially when you quietly sing to yourself when you believe you’re alone. Don’t think I don’t notice these things my dearest, Husker. I adore many things about you, specifically because they're apart of _you_. And that includes your current body, one that I am less familiar with, but still quite fond of.” 

Reaching out to his now wide-eyed, slack-jawed companion, he wraps an arm around Husk and pulls him closer to rest him against his side.

He himself is now much bigger in comparison, Husk’s head just fitting under his arm and against his upper ribs. This doesn't come as much of a surprise. Alastor had been tall before he'd died and had only gotten taller in hell. Though he was nowhere near Angel Dust's height. There was nothing wrong with being shorter by a foot or two. Besides, he can still see the others' charmingly red face from here. Embarrassment, perhaps? 

His hand travels from Husk’s shoulder, down his side, and along his waist, stopping at his hip to give it a gentle squeeze. After all, he didn’t want to bruise his cherished partner. Humans were such fragile creatures. 

He raises his unoccupied hand to run it through the other’s damp locks. “... Your hair, the same color as your fur, is just as soft. It frames your lovely face quite nicely.” 

Alastor brings his hand down to brush his knuckles along Husk’s cheek. “Your flesh, so smooth, so pale. I could touch your skin all day and never tire of it.” 

The pad of his thumb slowly swipes along Husk’s bottom lip, his eyes trained on the thin, but slightly pouted mouth. He could say he rarely felt the urge to press his own against his companions, but right now, he had a very strong desire to swoop down and kiss those tantalizing -. “Your mouth… its shape is so delicate and so very distracting. Quite misleading, seeing as to how you could scare off the worst of the worst in hell with what it can unleash.“ 

His fingers keep traveling only to stop at the collar of Husk’s shirt, teasing the buttons as if he were considering undoing them. “Your body, so limber, littered with the scars of your victories, your losses, and your life. So easily broken, yet so very strong in its own right.” 

His hand continues its path down the other’s flat chest and along his stomach, claws pausing to lightly tickle over a clothed navel. “Your stature is small, but it holds a promise. Of fight, of flexibility, and … of surprising tenderness.” 

He finally reaches the end of his appendage's long journey, allowing it to grab Husk’s, palm resting against palm, his claws tracing the back of a hand so much smaller in his own. He could feel the rough pads of the other’s fingers, callouses from a gun, a shovel, a knife… from the physicalities of war. And yet… so gentle when behind closed doors. 

Husk always respected his need for space as much as he respected his almost touch starved need to cling to him. When Alastor wasn’t drained by the mere presence of other demons, his Husker would treat him with a kindness only his mother had ever thought to provide. But Husk wasn’t his mother, nor was he his wife. 

What a funny thought, he’d surely be smacked for thinking of his Husk as a bride. In any other situation, he’d laugh but now wasn’t the time. No, he wasn’t his _spouse_ … but he was his. And he could say he didn’t quite hate the idea of belonging to his partner in return. Especially when they could be rather affectionate with each other. 

Being repulsed by touch, but wanting to touch. It was easy for him to understand, but others weren’t as quick to interpret what exactly that meant. He thrived off of the attention he received. He just didn’t want that attention to ever become physical. Not without his want of it. 

Husk could grasp such an easy concept. Husk made sure to abstain from touching him when he knew Alastor was feeling particularly revolted by it, even if Alastor himself was aggressively ruffling, nuzzling, or petting him. 

Not many could do what his darling could do. Not many could meet his standards so effortlessly. Dare he say, his Husker exceeded his expectations as a partner, and that was saying something since he’d never wanted one to begin with! 

And what a partner he was. Upfront, he was an apathetic alcoholic with a temperament akin to a pot of boiling hot water when provoked. Behind closed doors, however, he was quite the character. Not the demon he tried to portray himself as.

His Husk was so very romantic - hopelessly so, in fact! Alastor could kiss him on the knuckles and be rewarded with the others goofy love-struck grin and fluffed up feathers. Maybe this was why Husk didn’t complain when he was particularly repulsed by touch. Instead, allowing himself to be terrorized without any form of reciprocation just to get Alastor’s attention.

Even so, Alastor made sure to show his appreciation for this in the form of lavishing his kitty with amorous gestures. His dearest wasn’t interested in material goods unless of course that included cheap booze or a game of cards, both of which he was more than happy to provide.

He himself had never been interested in romance. It usually involved very disgusting things that made his skin crawl just thinking about it… but it was oh so very easy to sweep his partner off his feet, literally and metaphorically. Both resulted in reactions that were priceless! He would know! He’s done both!

Luckily for him, Husk didn’t need to be satisfied in ways Alastor couldn’t give. Husk had admitted that those cards would have been on the table if that was something they’d both wanted, but since it wasn’t his hand had been easily discarded for a new one. He was so nonchalant towards the idea, Alastor had kissed him just for being so uncomplicated. 

And wasn’t that a surprise! A very theatrical smooch on his part, but one nonetheless. It wasn’t as hard as he’d thought it would be. Maybe it was because of who he’d given it to. Though, he still wouldn't say it was a gesture he necessarily wanted, it still gave him something to look forward to!

His normally callous friend had been hilariously responsive to such an effortless action, he couldn’t help agreeing to simple romantic gestures of affection just to coax more of those reactions from his darling.

He idly wondered how his now human turned partner would react. Speaking of, his gaze traveled back up from the other’s hand, still held carefully in his own, to see his face… Oh. _Oh how absolutely precious._

Husk’s eyes were wide and bright, staring at their joined hands. His face was painted with a vivid blush, so red it could rival the color of Alastor’s hair, and his head was ducked down between his raised shoulders as if he could hide in his partner’s shadow. 

Said shadow was watching the exchange from the other side of the room, almost cooing at their human’s expression. From the eyes of his shadow, he had a clearer vision of Husk’s face. 

From his own view Husk seemed embarrassed, but from his shadows, he could see the slight quirk of the other’s lips fighting to not break out into what he could only assume to be his infamously dopey grin. 

Husk may act rough around the edges, but he loved to be treated gently. As if he were a treasure… and to Alastor, he was. 

To Husk, he was being utterly worshipped by his deerlike partner and he could barely function because of it. 

He was positively _adorable._ His Husker could be quite endearing. And only he was gifted with such a sight. He and his shadow shared a smug smile. 

While Husk never pushed him when it came to touching or the typical gestures expressed by couples, Alastor could still be doting in his own way. He could be considerate of his Husker and so very passionate when he was in the mood to be. 

Suave wasn’t hard to pull off when you were the physical embodiment of the word. Minus the unintentional ‘wooing’ of his peers that tended to follow, of course. 

His fellow demons, most if not all of whom were of unimportance and whose opinions could be disregarded, believed him to be incapable of love. To be quite honest, he shared their sentiments. He had a love of many things, but none of them were living nor breathing… or at least, not for long. 

He had loved his mother but that was very different. This ‘infatuation’ that he had for his Husker was unusual for him. It was unexpected, abnormal, and extraordinary. 

Did he regret it? Not in the slightest! His saturnine tempered sweetheart kept him constantly entertained and provided him with an outlet for not only his shenanigans but his one-sided touch-deprived behavior. He wasn’t afraid to tell him, an overlord with a long-standing horrific reputation, that he was an idiot or that he needed to reign it in. Not that he ever listened, but it was the thought that counted!

Oftentimes, the hotel’s inhabitants would see himself and Niffty being yelled at by their winged feline friend for whatever it was they had gotten into that day. Was it because they had a tendency to drag him into their shenanigans? Yes! Yes it was! And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Oh yes, Alastor very much adored this man. He adored him as a winged demon cat, he adored him as a human, and he’d adore him in any other form his beau could possibly take on. Though, any imps or other hellish creatures would have to be foolish enough to get past him first.

Speaking of foolish creatures, he still had to find the imp that had created their current conundrum. He almost salivated on the spot at the thought of another good hunt. His listeners could use a broadcast, it had been at least a week since his last one. The hotel could get rather busy, after all.

Now wasn’t the time to be thinking such things. His beloved kitty cat needed him. He’d have plenty of time to hunt to his heart’s content once he was sure he had reassured his Husker. His very insecure Husker. Maybe his sweetheart would listen to his broadcast this time around, seeing as to how it would be vengeance for the sake of his honor.

Tilting his head, Alastor leaned forward slightly, attempting to catch Husk’s gaze with his own. He watched as his flushed faced partner hesitantly lifted his head to look up at him. He would never tire of those ocherous colored eyes. Alastor swore he could get lost in them.

“Have I left you speechless, Husker?” he asked with a raised brow. Glee welled up into his chest as the other’s expression turned sour, face scrunching up in aggravation. It would have been more compelling if his dearest’s face didn’t resemble a tomato. 

With a scowl, Husk hissed, “Listen here ya wiseguy. If I’m havin any trouble spewing shit out it’s because of you and you know it! So don’t go actin all smug.” His scowl was replaced with a sullen frown. 

Alastor only grinned even more complacently in return, his half-lidded glowing red eye’s never leaving the other’s face. “No need to pout, my dear. I was merely expressing my desire for you. I wanted to banish any doubts from that charming head of yours!” He squeezed Husk’s hand that he happily noted hadn’t left his grasp even with his apparent ‘anger’ toward him.

Husk blinked rapidly for a moment as if he couldn’t quite make sense of what Alastor was talking about before he gave a groan of disdain. “Was I being that obvious?” Running his free hand down his face, he shook his head. “Damn it. I shoulda known. No wonder you were doing all of this!” 

Taking his hand away from Alastor’s, he crossed his arms tightly, fingers digging into his biceps. “Thought my heart was gonna explode outta my chest… you didn’t have to go so far for me just because I was being a sadsack.” He hunched in on himself, hiding his expression from the overlord beside him. “S’not like I wasn’t a sucker for it though...” He muttered, the tips of his ears turning bright red, giving his true feelings away.

Alastor clenched his now empty hand in the air, immediately feeling its loss like a slap to the face. Had he somehow offended his Husker again? What had he said to make him turn away?

Brows furrowing, Alastor studied his beloved with a critical stare, taking in the way he was holding himself to the flushing of his ears now that he couldn’t read his expression.

How curious… He seemed to be quite happy with Alastor’s treatment. Why was he so clearly upset with finding out the reason Alastor had taken the time to do something like this? After all, Alastor typically wasn’t so bold in such intimate ways-

...

...Ah.

Eyes widening in realization, he placed his free hand over his heart with a soft grin. He felt as though there were fireflies warming his chest with their soft glow. Buzzing and fluttering around, trapped within his ribcage. What an interesting tingling sensation! Not at all unpleasant.

His dear sweet Husker, always keeping Alastor in mind even when he only made things more complicated for himself. His Husker, believing he was doing all of this just to pacify him rather than comfort him. How silly, why would Alastor waste his time spoiling him if he hadn’t wanted to do so from the very beginning? He had the distinct urge to wrap his darling in his arms and never let him go. How dramatic!

With a quiet sigh, Alastor moved his hand to rest over Husk’s knee. “I want to cherish you. A surprising thing, coming from me! And I would know, I _am_ me hahah!” He watched as Husk’s shoulders went slack, his hands sliding down his arms until they rested in his lap. Alastor didn’t hesitate to cover them with his own. “I admire your wish to keep me in mind. Just know that I aspire to do the same for you.”

Husk slowly turned back to face him, giving him a searching look. Alastor fought the urge to pull a funny face. They could both use a good laugh! But he knew it would be better to let him do what he felt was necessary. Even if it was something as simple as allowing him to gaze upon his oh so very winsome partner!

Husk had said so himself many times. The thought alone almost had Alastor puffing up his chest in pride. 

Without a word, Husk seemed to come to a decision. Giving a determined nod, he sat up straight, tilting his head up in a gesture he knew Alastor would be very familiar with. 

The corners of Alastor’s smile twitched before widening in amusement. He stayed completely still, his shoulders tensing with the effort to contain his laughter. He knew this was Husk’s way of asking for a kiss. Offering in a way that wasn’t demanding, leaving Alastor in complete control of the situation. Giving him the ability to choose if he wanted ‘intimate’ physical contact.

The buzzing within his ribcage increased, feeling more like static as it traveled throughout his body. Jolting his limbs and brain into awareness. His fingers twitched with the excess energy. Or was it adrenaline? 

After a few more moments of waiting, Husk’s expression relaxed into a neutral frown. He looked away, trying to maintain his poker face. Disappointment gnawed at him. This wasn’t the first time Alastor had rejected his request for ‘touchy’ romantic gestures of affection. It never really bothered Husk. They tended to just laugh it off with one of the deer demon’s awful dad jokes, or in Husk’s case, he would roll his eyes so hard he swore he could see the back of his skull.

Honestly, Alastor had already done more than enough. For Pete's sake, his heart was _still_ racing!

But now that he thought about it, he couldn't help looking back to a time when it had actually bothered him.

The first time Alastor rejected him, he had done it a little _too_ aggressively. Their relationship was still pretty fresh, so Husk could definitely understand why it had happened.

They were at Alastor’s ‘humble’ abode. Husk had been there a number of times before they’d gotten together so it wasn’t unfamiliar territory. And it had the added benefit of being secluded.

Luckily, they weren’t extremely public about their relationship to begin with. It wasn’t really anyone else’s business. So he hadn’t had to worry about what the fallout could have been like if they had been surrounded by a bunch of strangers. Strangers he didn’t give two shits about.

Alastor had treated him to dinner and had decided to show Husk around his bayou. Yes. A literal fucking bayou that seemed to surround Alastor’s home. Hell, it even attached to the thing, but that was beside the point.

Husk had let Alastor prattle on and on as they strolled through the marshy land. He was content in letting the one-sided conversation carry on, more than a little enamored with the other’s enthusiasm. The place was creepy as fuck, but if it made Alastor that excited, he’d suck it up for him.

Husk wouldn’t say he was touch starved or hungry for affection. He just… _really_ liked the idea of having someone he could maybe spend the rest of his life with. And yes, someone he could possibly be a _little_ sappy with.

…

Okay, fine. He sort of liked sappy romantic shit. A lot. Of course, knowing who he’d fallen in love with, that wasn’t a guaranteed thing, especially back then. He’d gotten used to Alastor’s typical brand of ‘affection’, but Husk had his own that he couldn’t help wanting to give just as much as he wanted to get. He hadn’t pushed it, seeing as to how they had been ‘testing the waters’ of their new partnership. It just made it all harder to resist once they’d become official.

Husk held back for Alastor’s sake. It was easy. He just had to be aware of himself. The only problem with that was when Alastor decided to be an endearing little shit because he was a jackass that liked to torture him. Husk would end up going all heart-eyed and become a fucking dumbass.

That just happened to be one of those moments. Alastor had touched him plenty of times that night, even more so than usual. And it hadn’t stopped at dinner. As they’d walked he’d touched Husk’s shoulders, fluffed up his feathers, and hugged him around the waist when pointing out a particularly dangerous area that apparently had a good number of corpses floating beneath the swamp.

Eugh… it was fucking _nightmare fuel._

Honestly, nightmares would have been welcome over what he ended up with instead.

He’d been so hopelessly distracted by Alastor and his excessive touching that he had thought maybe doing something pathetically simple wouldn’t be too much for him.

He hadn’t _hurt_ Husk. Not on purpose anyway...

All Husk wanted to do was hold his hand. He’d reached for it and grabbed it. He hadn’t even laced their fingers together or gripped it tight! It was a pretty fucking loose hold because he’d been relaxed and content, walking around in a death swamp with a motherfucking serial killer. _He was such a fucking idiot._

Him being murdered, eaten alive, or buried in a bayou hadn’t even crossed his mind. He’d been a lovestruck fool who apparently just wanted to hold said serial killer’s god damned _hand._

Well he fucking did it. And you know what happened?

Alastor reacted like Husk was a _disease._ He’d violently flung his hand out of his, hard enough to not only hurt his shoulder, but make him lose his balance. Husk had been so shocked, he couldn’t deflect the oncoming hit from the microphone staff Alastor had magicked into existence. He took it right to the ribs as Alastor seemed to push him as far away from himself as he possibly could within the span of those few seconds.

He’d luckily snapped out of it just in time to avoid ramming into a tree. He wasn’t lucky enough to avoid the water beside the tree.

It hadn’t been deep enough to drown in. In fact, the murky water stopped just below his shoulders. And he’d been _sitting_ in it.

Now that he was thinking back on it, Alastor’s face had been absolutely priceless. He’d looked more startled than Husk had felt. Too bad he’d been too upset to really enjoy it.

All he could remember was being so angry and humiliated, he was almost numb with it. He was surprised the water hadn’t been boiling around him with just how mad he’d been.

He’d stood up, albeit unsteadily thanks to the muddy ground and his wet fur. Alastor had snapped out of his stupor then and had made his way over as if to help, but Husk rose a clawed paw in the air to stop him. Funny enough, he listened.

Husk struggled out of the muddy swamp, his now waterlogged wings dragging heavily behind him. Once he was out, he looked himself over, taking in the mess he knew he’d have to deal with and immediately felt even worse. It would take hours to clean himself up.

It _did_ take hours to clean. It fucking sucked.

The frigid waters were muddy and from what he'd been told had corpses floating around in them. The stench alone made him want to gag. It did nothing for his smarting ribs.

Once he’d checked himself over, he looked back up to Alastor who seemed to be frozen in place. Husk knew it was because he was unsure of how to proceed, but at that moment he hadn’t given a flying fuck. He only wanted one thing and it sure as hell wasn’t to hold the others fucking hand.

“I want to go home.”

Alastor merely blinked in response, processing his request. His brows furrowed in confusion.

Husk didn’t give him the opportunity to ask any questions, again stating, _“I want to go home.”_ His voice was just as deadpan as his expression. He could feel his emotions simmering just beneath the surface. He wanted to get back to his apartment so he could clean up, drink himself into a coma, and hopefully forget about this god awful experience. Thanks to his little swim he couldn’t fly and he’d be damned if he took the walk of shame looking like this. The quickest way would be through Alastor's demonic powers. Husk's hatred of teleportation be damned.

Raising his hands placatingly, Alastor tried to reason with him. “My dear, let’s not be so hasty! I have a perfectly good tub you can use. We’ll get you cleaned up in a jiffy!”

Husk hadn’t been so easily swayed. At that moment he wanted to be as far away from the other demon as possible. “No.” When Alastor’s eyes widened, he made sure to continue, knowing he’d only try to press further. “I want to leave. Send me home.”

Standing out in the open air after being drenched in freezing swamp water had left him shivering so hard his teeth were clacking. He’d wrapped his arms around himself to try and tame his quaking, but it hadn’t helped in the slightest.

Alastor’s eye’s flitted to every part of Husk’s body. His legs twitched every now and again as if he wanted to move closer. His hand had been grasping his staff so tight Husk was surprised he hadn’t snapped it between his fingers like a twig. When his gaze settled back on Husk’s face, he paused. “...Very well.”

Without another word, he’d raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

In the blink of an eye, he’d been returned to his apartment. Alastor had at least had the decency to transport him into his bathroom. Dripping onto tiles that would be much easier to clean than the old wood flooring that made up the rest of his dingy home.

Without wasting another moment to stew in his messy feelings, he did just as he’d planned. He spent hours cleaning himself up and drying himself off, he pulled out his stash to get fucking wasted and blacked out. The only problem was that he’d woken up with a hangover that felt like a second death before wishing it _had_ been when the memories of the previous night came flooding back.

Husk had then proceeded to shut himself in and brood over his idiocy and Alastor’s rejection. He’d felt heartbroken and found himself second-guessing their partnership. Maybe they were better off as friends. Would he have been able to ignore his own feelings? Probably not… Eternity avoiding Alastor would be virtually impossible. That is, if Alastor even wanted to see him after what had happened.

His self-isolation lasted about two weeks until Alastor got ahold of him, and not in the way any demon would think.

Radio’s weren’t an uncommon thing to own in hell. He’d had one when he was alive and had gotten used to using them during his service in the military. He wouldn’t say he bought this particular radio himself. In fact, he didn’t buy much when it came to technology.

He’d thought about getting one, but whatever earnings he’d get from gambling would typically go to more important things. Like booze and food.

That being said, when Alastor heard he didn’t own one, he decided to solve Husk’s ‘dilemma’ by getting one for him. Or he should say, by snapping one into existence. The show-off.

Had Husk used it ever since? Yes. Did he listen to Alastor’s broadcasts? Hell no. Not unless he could avoid the more horrifying one’s.

The radio had taken residence in his living room, but for the two weeks he’d been moping in his own shame, it sat in his utility closet down the hall. Where he couldn’t see its red finish that just so happened to remind him of a certain demon that he couldn’t get his mind off of.

Said radio should have been collecting dust, but when Husk had heard the distinct staticky sound of a radio playing, he freaked the fuck out. It may have been muffled, but his ears could pick up noise pretty damn well.

He’d slowly made his way to the closet, feeling as though he were hallucinating. Alcohol could do that to you. He wouldn’t have been surprised. This hadn’t been the case. Once he’d opened the door, the radio was right where he’d tossed it. Picking it up, he inspected it, watching the dials move on their own as if a ghost were channel surfing for a particular station.

“What the fuck-”

_“Hello? Is this thing on?”_

Husk jumped a foot in the air at the sound of the extremely familiar voice that burst forth from the static. Was that Alastor?

_“Hahah! Excellent! Hello, dear listeners. It is I, the Radio demon! You’re in for a special treat this fine evening!”_

It _was_ Alastor! Was he the one behind this? But why? What did he get out of forcing Husk to listen to one of his broadcasts?

_“If you were hoping for some splendidly gruesome entertainment, I’m afraid you’ll just have to tune into my next show! Today, I’ll be serenading a very good friend of mine!”_

Husk hadn’t known what to think. His heart had started racing the minute he’d heard Alastor’s voice. Making his way back to the other room, he plopped down onto the couch, clearing the empty bottles off of his coffee table with a swipe of his paw so he could place the radio directly in front of him.

Husk could remember being more than a little confused, but that hadn’t stopped him from giving the overlord his full attention. He heard Alastor clear his throat before his voice began to filter through.

_“I don’t want to set the world on fire~”_

Husk’s jaw dropped open at just how well Alastor could sing. He’d always known the other had talent. He sang and danced out of the blue plenty of times, but this? This was different. His voice was soft and sweet.

_“I just want to start a flame in your heart~”_

The soothing tone of his usually animated voice threw Husk for a loop.

_“In my heart I have but one desire. And that one is you, no other will do~”_

Who was he singing to?

_“I’ve lost all ambition for worldly acclaim, I just want to be the one you love~”_

With his heart in his throat, Husk couldn’t help leaning forward, every part of him wanting to be as close to the voice as possible.

_“And with your admission that you’d feel the same, I’ll have reached the goal I’m dreaming of, believe me~’”_

Hands shaking, Husk didn’t even try to fight back the tears blurring his vision.

_“I don’t want to set the world on fire, I just want to start a flame in your heart~”_

The music cuts off as Alastor finished his serenade, his mesmerizing voice a memory that Husk knew would play in his dreams for the rest of his afterlife.

_“I do hope you enjoyed, dearest listeners.”_

There was a pause.

_“Husker.”_

Husk shook his head, hot tears pouring steadily down his face. Having Alastor confirm his suspicions that the song was for him only made him cry harder.

Sniffling, Husk couldn’t help laughing wetly into his paws. “And you said you weren’t good at lovey dovey crap...” His body wracked with another sob as his last two weeks of pent up misery finally flowed out of him alongside his tears. “A-and now look at me. Blubberin over a guy who ain’t even interested in that kind of thing.” Husk gasped out another laugh. “What the fuck is wrong with me?”

He was happy. He was so happy he didn’t know what to do with himself.

_“My darling, have I only succeeded in making things worse?”_

Jumping, Husk had hesitantly moved his paws away from his face so he could look at the radio with an alarmed frown.

“W-what? Al? Can you hear me? Can you see me? What about your audience?”

 _“...Yes, I can hear you. I can broadcast to whomever I so choose.”_ A crackle of static popped through the speaker before he continued. _“Not to worry, as soon as my song ended all other listeners were forcibly cut off from my broadcast.”_

Husk wiped his face with his paws as he took in the information. “...Can you see me, Alastor?”

_“... Not if you don’t want me to, Husker.”_

If Alastor _could_ see him, it was far too late to worry about looking like an emotional mess. With a heavy sigh, Husk looked away from the radio to stare at the floor. This was definitely something else.

“Nah. It doesn’t matter. You heard what you heard and if you were watching me you saw what you saw.” He’d shrugged his shoulders in case Alastor _was_ watching.

Alastor hummed in response, breaking off for a moment before coming back with a question of his own.

_“Did you like my song?”_

Husk felt a soft smile break out across his face. “Yeah. I did like it… I liked it _a lot._ ” His smile only widened at Alastor’s reply.

_“It was for you.”_

“I know.” Husk felt so warm, he thought he was going to set the couch cushions on fire. “I _really really_ liked it.”

He could hear the satisfied smile in Alastor’s voice. _“I’m happy to hear that, my dear!”_

They sat in silence for a few moments, the static from the radio filling the quiet of the room.

Husk was almost startled again when Alastor’s voice broke through, sounding unsure.

_“Could I quite possibly... stop by for a visit?”_

Husk didn’t hesitate to answer, voice cracking as he spoke, “Yes. Fuck yes. Please.”

The relieved laugh he got in return made his knees weak. _“I’ll be there soon. Will you wait for me?”_

What kind of question was that? Of course he would.

Instead of giving the other a snarky reply, his heart decided it would take the reins. “Always.”

There wasn’t much else he needed to remember from back then. He and Alastor had made amends and had gotten back on track. They’d had plenty of time to get to a more comfortable point in their relationship.

Alastor no longer reacted violently to Husk touching him without warning and Husk learned how to read Alastor so he could get away with harmless gestures. Like a peck on the cheek or holding hands. Yeah, they could do that now. Alastor actually preferred holding his arm out for Husk to take instead. Not that Husk was complaining.

Even with Alastor getting used to their relationship, he still wasn’t always in the mood for things like kissing, biting, cuddling or embracing. He pulled Husk into plenty of side hugs, so Husk never really bitched about missing out on holding Alastor or being held by him. When he _was_ in the mood, Husk was relieved he had Alastor to grip onto because he was never actually prepared. Ever. His body was _never_ ready.

And he loved _every second_ of it. Well, the biting he could do without. Alastor’s teeth fucking hurt. He ate demons with those suckers. He had a feeling the bastard got a sick kick out of it. Angel shouldn’t have ever brought it up to begin with. Whoever said nibbling any part of your partner was a good idea is a liar. They obviously didn’t mean to include cannibals. Unless that was their plan all along those _smarmy scumbags._

He knew for a fact that Alastor wasn’t doing it right. Angel purposely kept that to himself because he’d found it pretty fucking hilarious. Husk needed to remember to punch him for it.

Husk was startled out of his thoughts by a hand guiding his face back up. His eyes went wide as Alastor leaned down to place a chaste kiss on his lips, the hand at his hip pulling him impossibly closer.

His heart was racing so fast he wouldn’t be surprised if Alastor could hear it.

Alastor pulled away, giving him a satisfied smirk. The bastard was probably laughing at the expression on his face, but he didn’t care. He was too dazed to worry about it.

“If you still had the ability to purr, I have no doubt in my mind you would be doing just that.”

Husk would have pushed him away if he wasn’t currently drunk off of Alastor’s touch. “Mhm…” He could only offer a sluggish nod in response.

Alastor’s eyes roamed over his face, his clawed fingers keeping Husk’s head tilted up by his jaw. Usually Alastor would let him go by now, but he seemed to be distracted by something.

Blinking away the fog clouding his mind, Husk was about to ask him what he was doing when Alastor’s thumb moved from his cheek to his mouth, pressing gently over his bottom lip.

He was suddenly hit with a sense of deja vu.

Alastor had done this when he was in the middle of charming the pants off of Husker with his spiel of admiring him as both a demon and a human. A speech that inevitably made him swoon like a twitterpated moron.

The thumb gently stroked his lip, red eyes tracking the movement. Alastor looked almost… _hungry._

 _Fuck that._ If he tried to take a bite out of Husk, he would fight him. Even without his claws and sharp teeth. He beat the shit out of that schmuck in the lobby, he wouldn’t hesitate to beat some sense back into his partner.

Before he could tell Alastor to back the fuck up, the hand at his jaw moved to his chin, holding him steady as Alastor swooped back down to claim his lips in another kiss.

Husk let out a choked noise, not at all expecting Alastor to initiate another liplock.

The radio host leaned forward and dipped him backward, forcing Husk to scrabble for purchase, his hands flailing minutely before grasping onto Alastor’s suit jacket.

Husk felt the hand at his hip move up his side, caressing his clothed flesh as it made its way to the middle of his back, supporting him so he wouldn’t fall.

This kiss was chaste like the previous one, but the cool lips over his own weren’t as gentle. They pressed down, moving against his fervently.

Husk moaned at the intensity, his eyes squeezing shut. He would have been embarrassed by the noise he’d made if he didn’t get a low growl in response.

Alastor fucking _growled._

How was he supposed to react? He was feeling confused and overwhelmed and- _oh fuck it._ If Alastor didn’t want him to reciprocate, he wouldn’t have done this in the first place.

Mind made up, Husk kissed the other back with just as much enthusiasm, using the death grip he had on the striped jacket as leverage to pull Alastor closer.

Husk would be the first to admit that his partner could woo him without even trying. For a demon that had no intention to incorporate romance into his life, Alastor was exceptionally skilled at being passionate. At the most _random fucking times._

He probably did it on purpose to torment him. Which wasn't true, but it sure as hell felt like it!

Rather than pulling away completely like Husk expected him to, Alastor only pulled back to wipe a clawed finger over his mouth, inspecting the tips of his fingers.

Was that blood?

Licking his lips, Husk could feel a light sting from what he could only assume was a cut on his mouth. The only explanation he could think of was Alastor accidentally nicking him with his teeth. They were so sharp, he was surprised he hadn’t felt it until now…

He licked it again, ignoring the small twinge of pain in favor of trying to clean away the blood that welled up over the split, the sharp taste of iron making his nose scrunch up.

Looking back to Alastor, Husk noticed he was staring at his mouth again. Had he been watching him the whole time? It was just a cut. It would close up pretty fucking quickly, even without his demonic ability to regenerate.

Alastor didn’t seem concerned. In fact, it was pretty fucking obvious that he wanted to continue. Blood wouldn’t stop him, it would only encourage him. He was a god damned maniac.

…

Husk was suddenly tempted to try something. After all, Alastor seemed to be in one of his rare moods. He would take what he could get, and he was already getting more than he expected.

He brought his tongue back out, running it over his cut to collect the small traces of blood. He felt his heart stutter in his chest as Alastor's eyes tracked the movement. He let his tongue slide back into his mouth, curious about the other’s reaction. He would have given him shit for it if a tongue wasn’t just shoved into his mouth.

A tongue- No, _Alastor’s_ tongue was _in his fucking mouth._

Alastor had chased after his tongue, his own prying apart Husk’s lips to get to it. Husk was so shocked, his body felt paralyzed.

Alastor never went this far. What was he after? His blood? Was he going to chew out his tongue? What the fuck was going on?

He felt Alastor’s slick appendage slide over his own and his brain immediately shut down. Alastor needed to stop or he’d work Husk up. That is, if Husk wasn’t already turned on. This was _bullshit._

All Husk could do was hold on for dear life.

When Alastor’s tongue finally slid out of his mouth, Husk tried to catch his breath. His body was shaking with adrenaline. His chin was slick with drool. It was hot. He was gonna keel over.

“D-did you just…?” He struggled to get the words out.

Alastor seemed to come back to himself, his eyes wide and his smile strained. “A-ah. I believe I may have… yes.” He released Husk’s jaw to swipe his fingers over his chin, just as slick with spit as Husk’s. His upper lip rose in disgust.

His shadow appeared beside him, holding out a handkerchief. Alastor gave it a grateful nod, taking the garment to clean his face. Once he was done, he used the handkerchief to dab at Husk’s mouth, wiping away the drool.

“There we are! Much better.” His grin relaxed as he made the cloth disappear.

When Husk remained unresponsive, Alastor’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Are you alright, my dear? You’re looking quite pale... and you’re trembling! Have you gone into shock?”

Husk merely frowned, his hands releasing their grip on Alastor’s jacket in favor of covering his mouth. Had that really just happened? Was it his fucking birthday?

For all of the time they’d been together, Alastor had never gone farther than closed mouthed kisses. Husk would take any type of kiss he could get, even if they weren’t directly on his mouth. He’d gotten them on his shoulders, his head, the back of his knuckles…

He was a sucker for this shit okay? We’ve established this already.

But his tongue? Ohoho no. Alastor needed to be fucking careful with that thing. It wasn’t fair to rile him up like this. He was going to give him a stroke.

“Y-you gotta be careful, Al… You’re gonna drive me crazy.” He let his hands fall back to his lap, making sure the other was listening. “Also, can you… y’know…” He gestured towards their position.

Alastor blinked down at him before his eyes lit up in realization. He sat up, pulling Husk back up with him so he was no longer dipped over the mattress.

“I must have lost myself in the moment.” He gave him a closed mouth smile, his gaze nothing short of fond. “You have that effect on me, dearest.” He took Husk’s hands in his, taking great care in keeping his claws away from Husk’s skin.

Husk’s heart fluttered in his chest at the other's confession. How could he make Husk fall even more in love with him? Was that even physically possible at this point?

With a shuddering breath, he forced himself to relax. “As long as you try not to push my buttons, it shouldn’t be a problem.” Shrugging his shoulders, he gave a lopsided grin. “You have a pretty big effect on me too, you nutjob.”

Alastor smirked, his voice dropping into silkier tones. “I am well aware of the effect I have on you, my dear sweet Husker.” He moved forward, placing a hand on Husk’s chest so he could push him onto his back.

Husk’s breath hitched as Alastor leaned over him. He moved his hands to push himself back up only to have his wrists gripped firmly by Alastor’s hands, keeping them pressed against the sheets on either side of his head.

“Al… what are you doing?”

He was doing exactly what Husk specifically told him not to do. _He was pushing his fucking buttons._

Alastor's hands moved up from his wrists, lacing their fingers together. “I’m not sure. What am I doing to you, Husker?” As he spoke, he moved down to nose along Husk’s collarbone.

With a wheeze, Husk turned his head away, realizing a moment too late that he’d exposed more of his neck to his attacker.

“Al. I’m serious. What are you-” He cut off with a cry, his back arching.

“Did you just fucking _bite_ me?”

He shivered as a burst of warm air hit his skin, his eyes narrowing into a glare at the sound of Alastor chortling. Of course he’d get a kick out of torturing him. He lived for that shit.

He felt Alastor press a kiss to the spot, his voice low as he spoke, “Oh my darling, I’m going to do more than just _bite_ you.”

Husk clenched his teeth. He knew Alastor was only talking out of his ass. He was going to play his fucked up game and then Husk was going to have to take an extremely cold shower.

Fuck his life. Actually.

Taking a deep breath to calm his rattled nerves, Husk rolled his eyes. “Hahah, very funny. You can let me up now.” Alastor did what he’d come to do. Husk no longer felt insecure about being his human body. It was about time he got his demon one back.

A sinister laugh was Alastor’s response as he nuzzled his head into the crook of Husk’s neck. Not even a moment later, he felt another sharp sting against his skin.

“Sonofabotch Al, cut it out! You’re gonna leave marks!”

While the thought of marks everyone could actually see without his fur covering them up was extremely appealing, he really didn't want to have to deal with the fallout. He'd prefer it if other people minded their own fucking business and left him alone. Something they wouldn't do if they were given the opportunity to laugh at his expense.

What was Alastor trying to do? He was seriously starting to get on Husk’s last nerve.

“There’s no need to yell. Marking up your lovely flesh is something I’ve always wanted to do. Now that your fur is gone, I’m going to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.” He continued to bite at Husk's neck.

Husk swore under his breath at how hot his face felt. Right when he’d calmed down, Alastor had to go and fluster him all over again. He flinched at a particularly harsh nip.

“I thought you would be a fan of love bites.” Alastor stopped to press a kiss to every mark he left behind.

Why did he have to make everything sound so… _nice._ Manipulative fuck.

\----------NEXT DAY----------

With a languid stretch, Husk sighed. It was good to be back to normal. Well, normal for hell, anyway.

He smirked as he remembered Charlie apologizing profusely for having to dump a bucket of yellow sludge over his head. He didn’t want to know what it was. All that mattered was it had done its job. He was 'himself' again.

He filled a glass with beer and left it in front of two residents who seemed to be too busy chatting each other up to notice.

Huffing, he made his way to the end of the counter, grabbed a rag and wiped it listlessly.

It was early afternoon and the lobby was packed. Their residents had just gotten done with lunch and were now filtering out of the dining room in search of entertainment. He could see Vaggie prying Angel Dust away from a very bewildered looking demon. Heh, served him right.

When Alastor had finally let Husk go, his neck was a mess. He didn’t even try to hide it, there was literally no point.

Angel had walked in at the sound of Husk’s shouting, immediately putting two and two together. A neck with what looked like hickey’s mixed with a very smug looking Alastor? It wasn’t exactly hard to figure out.

He’d kicked both demon’s out just because he could and holed himself away until Charlie came to his rescue. A very slimy rescue, but it'd been worth it.

Watching Angel Dust blow kisses as he was dragged out of the room, he saw Alastor walk past them, his grin sharp as he gave Vaggie a pat on her head. Husk assumed he was ‘praising’ her for a job well done. By the irritated twitch of her eye, the action was more than a little unwelcome.

Husk couldn’t help but smile as Alastor entered the lobby, his eyes roaming around the room for a new target. He was insatiable when it came to tormenting the hotel’s resident’s. It was fucking hysterical.

Looking back down to the glass in his hand, he twisted it in his paw, rubbing the rag on any smudges he’d missed. These glasses were shit… he could clean them a thousand times and they’d still look just as filthy.

Placing it down on the counter, he reached for another glass. As he grabbed the closest one, his fur stood on end. It felt as though someone was watching him.

Glancing back up, he almost dropped the glass.

Alastor was staring at him. And it wasn’t his usual, ‘I’m about to piss you off for fun’ kind of stare. He looked almost… lovestruck.

This time Husk did drop his glass. He jumped as it shattered to pieces on the floor. Welp… meh, it wouldn’t be missed.

Before he could bend down to collect the shards, Niffty was already behind the bar, a broom in hand. “Don’t worry Husk, I’ll make this floor spotless!” With a series of nopes, Niffty started sweeping around Husk’s feet.

He snorted, walking around the mess so he could get out of Niffty’s way. “Yeah, thanks.” He stepped out of the bar area, only to be swept into a side hug.

“Hello, my dear! You’re looking especially chipper today!”

Crossing his arms, Husk turned his head so he could see Alastor’s face. Hm, no. He looked like he always did.

Like he was up to something.

“Out of all the demon’s in this room, you chose to bother me?”

Alastor nuzzled his face against his cheek, the arm around his shoulders squeezing him tighter. “Hah! What a silly question, of course you’d be my first choice!”

Husk tried to ignore the way his heart skipped a beat by rolling his eyes. “As honored as I am to be your 'first choice', what exactly are you planning to do to me? You might as well get it over with now.”

Alastor tilted his head with a curious smile. “I believe I’m already doing it, my fine feathered feline!”

Husk gave him a disbelieving stare. “You didn’t come over here to mess with me?”

His partner merely blinked, “Does fluffing up your fur count?”

Husk almost choked on his laughter. Alastor was being serious. How could this man be so fucking cute?

“No Alastor. It doesn’t count, but I might let you get away with it for making me laugh.”

He looked up to give Alastor what he knew would be an infatuated grin only to see the same expression mirrored on the others face.

Wait.

_Holy shit._

“Darling, you're looking a lot fluffier all of a sudden.” Alastor’s hands ran through his puffed up fur with an almost childish amount of glee. “You’re the softest creature I’ve ever had the pleasure of petting.”

That didn’t help him calm down at all, but the petting did feel nice.

Reaching up to grab Alastor’s hands, he gently moved them away from his ruffled fur. “If you don’t stop I’m gonna start purring.”

At first Alastor looked disappointed, but as soon as he mentioned his purring, he adamantly nodded his head. “Yes, you’re right, Husker. We can’t have anyone else hearing such sweet sounds. They don’t deserve it!”

Twisting Husk’s paw in his hand, he brought it up to place a kiss on the back of it. “I’m afraid the purring will have to wait until I’ve finished my rounds. I’ll be back in time for you to close the bar.”

With that, he turned away and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Husk to stare ahead unseeingly with a large goofy grin on his face.


End file.
